Introduction to Life History

Survivors of a prehistoric age, sturgeon today look much the same as fossils from 100 million years ago. Sturgeon are benthic or bottom-dwelling fish and many of their physical characteristics are an adaptation to this benthic environment.

Sturgeon have no teeth, a sucker like mouth, bones made of cartilage, a shark-like tail and five outer rows of scutes (bony plates). On young sturgeon the scutes have little hooked spurs that make them unappealing to predators like walleye and pike.

Heterocercal tail

Shark-like asymmetrical tail.

Scutes

Bony plates with little hooked spurs that can be as sharp as razor blades. The scutes make the young sturgeon unappealing to predators like walleye and pike. As the sturgeon grow the scutes wear down and size becomes the sturgeon's defence.

Barbels

The four barbels (or whiskers) hanging on the front of a sturgeon's mouth help ‘smell’ or taste food in the water.

Sucker Mouth

Sturgeon have no teeth. When they find food, they extend their tube-like mouth and quickly suck it in firmly clamping their prey in their jaw. Sturgeon feed mainly on the stream bottom and will eat anything from insect larvae to leeches, crayfish and small fish.